Title: Goff Junior High School



Introduction:

"The mission of Goff Junior High School, in partnership with home and community, is to establish an environment that values diversity and fosters respect for all individuals, an enthusiasm for learning, and a quest for success. Together, we will create a safe and nurturing school, which produces well prepared learners who are familiar with current technology and prepared for life’s challenges." (psdri.net) Goff Junior High School, located at 974 Newport Avenue, Pawtucket Rhode Island, 02861 is a beautiful school with a great faculty. Goff Junior High School has two administrators, principal Mrs. Lisa Benedetti-Ramzi and assistant principal Mr. Bruce Terrien. Goff Junior High School is very up and coming, working on their standardized scores and improving quality of the school as you will learn when I explain the community, district and about the school itself to any audience.

Community Background:


Income/poverty data table

Pawtucket
Rhode Island
US
Median household income
40,299
54,060
$50,007
Median family income
47,318
68,740
$60,374
Per capita income
20,855
27,515
$26,178
Families below poverty level
14.6%
8.3%
9.8%
Individuals below poverty level
17.0%
11.7%
13.3%
Median earnings for workers
25,734
30,159
28,029
Civilians employed ages 16 and over
35,553
854,785
233,658,279
Unemployed
7.6%
6.1%
6.6%
Mean household income
50,621
69,725
67,799

As you can infer from the table, which is taken from census.gov 2008, families in Pawtucket make about 14,000 less per household than most Rhode Island households and about 10,000 less than U.S. households. The community itself, isn’t very wealthy in comparison to the rest of Rhode Island and the United States. There are a significant amount of families below poverty in comparison to Rhode Island and the United States as well. Many in Pawtucket are unemployed and those with jobs do not make much. Naturally, having a larger percentage of poverty and a larger percentage of unemployed workers would interfere greatly with a child's education. There are an immense amount of people below poverty and could be a great factor in how a child performs in school.

Race/ethnicity data table

Pawtucket
Rhode Island
US
White
67.0%
82.7%
74.1%
Black/African Americans
13.8%
5.3%
12.4%
Asian
2.7%
2.7%
4.3%
Hispanic
15.5%
10.9%
14.7%
American Indian or Alaska native
.4%
.4%
.8%
Percent Male
47.6%
48.3%
49.2%
The information above is taken from 2008 census.gov. Pawtucket has a wide variety of ethnicities in comparison to the United States and Rhode Island. They have less White than Rhode Island, and more African Americans and Hispanic than the rest of Rhode Island.

District Summary:

The mayor of Pawtucket is James E. Doyle; Pawtucket is a city of 72,958, persons founded in 1671, at the strategic falls of the Blackstone River and the upper tidewaters of Narragansett Bay. (Pawtucketri.com)
Census-based Indicators

Pawtucket
Rhode Island
Child population
18,151
247,822
Children in single-parent families
42%
30%
Children living in families below the federal poverty threshold
25.3%
16.9%
Teens not in school and not working
13.4%
7.3%
Households with grandparents financially responsible for grandchildren
3%
4%
Median household income
31,775
42,090

The information above was taken from rikidscount.org. Pawtucket has many more children in single-parent homes as opposed to Rhode Island. In Pawtucket, far more people are living in poverty and earn less than most in Rhode Island. There are many single-parent families, which makes it difficult for a parent to give a child their full attention, so it may take a huge toll the child's educational experience. A lot of the families are living below the poverty threshold, which could also interfere with their education.
Economic Well-Being from 2008

Pawtucket
Rhode Island
Food Stamp Program participation
77%
77%
School Breakfast Program participation
26%
29%
Cost of Rent
1,068
1,232
Families receiving cash assistance
8%
6%
The information above is from rikidscount.org. Many more families in Pawtucket are receiving cash assistance with a lower cost of rent than the rest of Rhode Island. These families are not as well off and that may be a large interference in terms of the child's education.
Health

Pawtucket
Rhode Island
Number of children under 19 receiving medical assistance
8,889
84,717
Children with elevated lead levels
5.4%
4.5%
Women with delayed prenatal care
14.7%
12.1%
Teen birth rate
32.6%
19.1%
The information above is taken from rikidscount.org. The children in Pawtucket have a higher lead level in their blood. More women have delayed prenatal care and a significant amount of more teens are giving birth. These children are not being taken care of to the extent that other children in Rhode Island are being taken care of. Due to the high teen birth rate, it may have a great effect on the high school graduation rate.
Safety

Pawtucket
Rhode Island
Child abuse and neglect rate per 1,000 children
16.7
10.7
Domestic violence incidents with children present
22%
29%
Rate of children with incarcerated parents
11.3%
11.1%
The information above is taken from rikidscount.org. More children in Pawtucket are being abused in Pawtucket than the rest of Rhode Island, however there are less incidents of domestic violence with the children present. The rate of children with incarcerated parents is slightly higher than that of Rhode Island. These children have been experiencing neglect which may be a reason why the school is not performing as high as others in the district.

Education Facts

Pawtucket
Rhode Island
Early intervention participation
11%
10%
Head Start Participation rate
26%
40%
Infant and preschool children care per 100
66
91
Children who are English learners
10%
5%
Schools making insufficient progress
33%
19%
High School attendance rate
88%
91%
Suspension rate per 100
39
30
High School Graduation Rate
57%
74%

The information above is taken form rikidscount.org. In Pawtucket, there is a smaller amount of children starting school earlier than the rest of Rhode Island. There is far less preschool, double the amount of English learners, and more schools making insufficient progress than the rest of Rhode Island. The suspension rate is higher, the High School attendance rate is lower and the High School Graduation rate is significantly lower than the rest of Rhode Island. As you might infer, the Pawtucket school district is not as well off than that of Rhode Island. This may be because of the high percentage of English learners, it makes learning very difficult and therefore graduating even harder.

School Analysis:

According to greatschools.net, Goff Junior High School is academically far behind the rest of Rhode Island. According to the website, in 2008 Grade 7 scored 63% in reading when the state average was 67% and 44% in math where the state average was 49%. Grade 8 scored 55% in reading where the state average was 61%, 11% in science where the state average was 18%, 41% in writing where the average was 41% and 49% in math where the state average was 48%. According to rhode-island.educationbug.org, there are 311 male students and 259 female students. The school is 77.37% white, 15.79% Hispanic, 5.09% black, 1.40% Asian-pacific islander and .35% American Indian. City-data.com ranks Goff Junior High School as a 45 out of 100. Goff Junior High School tries to encourage their students to work harder and do well, so they award the deserving students with student of the month. The teachers form teams, where the different subject teachers rotate the same students, and once a month they meet to discuss ways to help certain students and improve grades. (psdri.net)

Conclusion:


In conclusion, I think that Goff Junior High School is a work in progress. I feel that with the information I have found, the grades have been improving over the years. I think that it is a safe school in a loving environment, however it did have its few incidents.I think that in a way, it will be very difficult for the school to improve its standing because of the families around it. Due to the facts that the families attending the school are so poor, it will be hard for the school to get the students motivated and to work harder. This could be both difficult yet easy for teachers. It could be proven to be difficult because the teachers do not have many materials to work with because the schools are so poor, however it could be easy because the children's families are so appreciative to the teachers who help. I feel that a families status effects a students educational career completely and in this case will be very difficult to fix. I feel that I learned a lot from this project because it opened my eyes to every aspect in which one could rate a school. This school is a product of its community, where everyone cares and works together to succeed.

References

www.census.gov. Fact Sheet. Retrieved October 21, 2009, from
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&_name=pawtucket&_state=04000US44&Submit.x=21&Submit.y=8&_county=pawtucket&_cityTown=pawtucket&_zip=&_sse=on&_lang=en&pctxt=fph
www.city-data.com. Goff Junior High School in Pawtucket. Retrieved October 21, 2009, from http://www.city-data.com/school/goff-junior-high-school-ri.html
www.greatschools.net. Goff Junior High School in Pawtucket. Retrieved October 21, 2009, from http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/achievement/ri/181
www.psdri.net. Goff Junior High School in Pawtucket. Retrieved October 21, 2009, from http://www.psdri.net/webs/goff_p_t_o/index.html

www.rhode-island.educationbug.com. Goff Junior High School in Pawtucket. Retrieved October 21, 2009, from http://rhode-island.educationbug.org/public-schools/middle/73522-goff-junior-high.html www.rikidscount.org. I ndicators of Child Well-Being. Retrieved October 21, 2009, from http://rikidscount.org/matriarch/documents/Pawtucket2009%281%29.pdf

Rubric for Peer Edit #1(Meredith Boyajian)


Introduction = REPLACEWITHSCORE/ 5 pts.

5 - Intro provides an overview of the upcoming analysis, including what school/district/community is being analyzed, what aspects are being analyzed, and who the report is intended to inform.
4 - Intro names the school/district/community and previews the scope of the report, but does not describe who the report is intended to inform.
3 - Intro names the school/district/community but not much else.
2 - Intro fails to name the school, district, and community.
0 - No introduction section is apparent.
Constructive comments about report's introduction:
Very good I know what you are going to be analyzing. Just mention audience.

Organization = REPLACEWITHSCORE / 5 pts.

5 - Report includes an Introduction, a Conclusion, and sections for the School, District, and Community. Within each section, paragraphs logically group the information presented.
4 - Report includes all of the sections mentioned previously, but does not break down information into paragraphs within each section.
3 - Report is missing one of the sections.
2 - Report is missing more than one section.
0 - Report does not include any sections.
Strengths and constructive comments about report's organization:
Very well organized.

Mechanics = REPLACEWITHSCORE / 5 pts.

5 - All information in the report is cited using APA styled- citations after the information and in a Reference section at the end of the report.

and

There are extremely few typos and misspelled words in the report.
4 - Most information is cited using APA style.

and/or

There are a noticeable number of typos or misspellings.
3 - Some citations in the References section are not in APA style, e.g. URLs are listed without the title of the website.

and/or

There are many typos, misspellings, or other writing errors.
2 - Most of the report's information is not cited, or APA style was not used.
0 - Report does not include a Reference section.
Strengths and constructive comments about report's organization:
Good grammar, APA is good.

Conclusion = REPLACEWITHSCORE / 5 pts.

5 - Conclusion reviews analysis of school, district and community and describes why findings should be important to reader.
4 - Conclusion reviews analysis of school, district and community.
3 - Conclusion does not refer back to report findings.
0 - No conclusion section is apparent.
Strengths and constructive comments about conclusion:
Good positive aspects and putting in your opinion. Just explain audience and how it might be beneficiary to them/teachers.

Creativity = REPLACEWITHSCORE / 5 pts.

5 - Report is written in an engaging style.
4 - Report has some interesting sections.
3 - Report generally reports information without seemingly without purpose.
Strengths and constructive comments about presentation:
Good job with tables and explanations, maybe add a picture or two..?
Talk about NCLB, and I would add more to the school analysis.. maybe add something about sports or after school activities if they have any. Also, mention about teachers (they like their job, etc.).

Thoroughness = REPLACEWITHSCORE /10 pts

5 - Report includes at least ten different facts in each section (school, community, district) and

compares each figure with another relevant figure (e.g. state or national average) and

states whether or not the school is meeting NCLB standards.
4 - Report includes at least eight different facts in each section and

compares most figures with relevant values and

states whether or not the school is meeting NCLB standards.
3 - Report includes at least six different facts in each section and

compares some of the figures to other relevant figures
2 - Report includes at least four different facts in each section and

compares some of the figures to other relevant figures.
0 - Report includes less than four different facts for any section or

fails to compare any figures with other relevant figures.

Rubric for Peer Edit #2- ( erika mondschein)


Introduction = REPLACEWITHSCORE/ 5 pts.

5 - Intro provides an overview of the upcoming analysis, including what school/district/community is being analyzed, what aspects are being analyzed, and who the report is intended to inform.
4 - Intro names the school/district/community and previews the scope of the report, but does not describe who the report is intended to inform.
3 - Intro names the school/district/community but not much else.
2 - Intro fails to name the school, district, and community.
0 - No introduction section is apparent.
Constructive comments about report's introduction:
5- you included all the background infro on the school and i know what is being analyzed

Organization = REPLACEWITHSCORE / 5 pts.

5 - Report includes an Introduction, a Conclusion, and sections for the School, District, and Community. Within each section, paragraphs logically group the information presented.
4 - Report includes all of the sections mentioned previously, but does not break down information into paragraphs within each section.
3 - Report is missing one of the sections.
2 - Report is missing more than one section.
0 - Report does not include any sections.
Strengths and constructive comments about report's organization:
5- it is very organized and neat

Mechanics = REPLACEWITHSCORE / 5 pts.

5 - All information in the report is cited using APA styled- citations after the information and in a Reference section at the end of the report.

and

There are extremely few typos and misspelled words in the report.
4 - Most information is cited using APA style.

and/or

There are a noticeable number of typos or misspellings.
3 - Some citations in the References section are not in APA style, e.g. URLs are listed without the title of the website.

and/or

There are many typos, misspellings, or other writing errors.
2 - Most of the report's information is not cited, or APA style was not used.
0 - Report does not include a Reference section.
Strengths and constructive comments about report's organization:
5- no mistakes with spelling or typos, good APA use

Conclusion = REPLACEWITHSCORE / 5 pts.

5 - Conclusion reviews analysis of school, district and community and describes why findings should be important to reader.
4 - Conclusion reviews analysis of school, district and community.
3 - Conclusion does not refer back to report findings.
0 - No conclusion section is apparent.
Strengths and constructive comments about conclusion:
5- like that you put in your opinion about the school, i think you stated very important things in the conclusion

Creativity = REPLACEWITHSCORE / 5 pts.

5 - Report is written in an engaging style.
4 - Report has some interesting sections.
3 - Report generally reports information without seemingly without purpose.
Strengths and constructive comments about presentation:
5- i liked how theere are alot of charts,

Thoroughness = REPLACEWITHSCORE /10 pts

5 - Report includes at least ten different facts in each section (school, community, district) and

compares each figure with another relevant figure (e.g. state or national average) and

states whether or not the school is meeting NCLB standards.
4 - Report includes at least eight different facts in each section and

compares most figures with relevant values and

states whether or not the school is meeting NCLB standards.
3 - Report includes at least six different facts in each section and

compares some of the figures to other relevant figures
2 - Report includes at least four different facts in each section and

compares some of the figures to other relevant figures.
0 - Report includes less than four different facts for any section or

fails to compare any figures with other relevant figures.
5- there are alot of different facts throughout your whole context statement, compares with another figure, and states whether or not the school is meeting NCLB standards. good job